Automotive oil drip catcher



Feb. 16, 1965 L. R. ASHMEAD AUTOMOTIVE OIL DRIP CATCHER Filed July 17, 1963 INVENTOR LLOYD R. ASHMEAD ATTORNEY United States Patent "ice 3,169,605 AUTOMOTIVE 01L DRIP CATCHER Lloyd R. Ashrnead, 3857 Corina Way, Palo Alto, Calif. Filed July 17, 1963, Ser. No. 295,778 2 Claims. (Cl. 184-106) This invention relates to an automotive oil drip catcher.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a device which catches and stores in a container the oil dripping from an automotive engine while it is stationary, and which uses the air pressure caused by the motion of the engine above a certain speed to empty the container.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side-elevation view of an oil drip catcher in accordance with this invention; and

FIGURES 2, 3, 4 and 5 are front, back, bottom and top views, respectively, of the oil drip catcher of FIG- URE 1.

Referring to the drawings, the oil drip catcher comprises a container 9 having a cover 11. The cover 11 is bent about lines 13, 14, 15 and 16 so that it slopes downwardly from all directions toward drain hole 17. The front end 19 of the cover 11 is flared so that together with the downward and forward-folded portion 21 of the front wall of container 9 it provides the container 9 with a wide front opening 23. A tube 26 goes through back wall 25 of container 9, tube 26 extending downwardly from the wall 25 into the container 9. Tube 26 could also go through another wall of container 9, as long as the outer end of tube 26 is not exposed to the blast of onrushing air.

The operation of the device of the invention is as follows: The device is permanently attached under a leaky part of the automotive engine, such as the front main bearing. Oil dripping down is collected by the cover spots.

3,169,605 Patented Feb. 16, 1965 11 and drains through hole 17 into the container 9. When the engine is moving, air engulfed through the wide front opening 23 causes the air pressure inside the container to rise slightly. This in turn causes the oil to drain out of the container through tubeZ.

Use of this device on automobiles avoids the pools of oil drippings in garages and other automobile parking 9, which empties itself when the automobile is moving on the highway.

I claim:

1. An oil drip catcher comprising a container for mounting under and in close proximity to the engine of an automotive vehicle, said container having a large opening at the front end thereof and a small opening positioned rearward of said large opening, and means including a tube that extends downwards from said small opening towards the inside of said container whereby oil deposited in said container will be held therein when said vehicle is idle but will be ejected therefrom through said tube when said vehicle is moving due to the increase in static air pressure within said container.

2. An oil drip catcher according to claim 1 wherein said container is provided with a cover sloping downwardly towards a drain hole in said cover.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,440,815 5/44 Wharam et al. 184106 X 2,480,486 8/49 Leazer 184106 2,841,245 7/58 Colgan 184106 2,868,329 l/59 Phelps ISO-69.1 X 2,899,019 8/59 Colgan 184106 A. HARRY LEVY, Primary Examiner.

The oil drippings are collected in the container 

1. AN OIL DRIP CATCHER COMPRISING A CONTAINER FOR MOUNTING UNDER AND IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE ENGINE OF AN AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE, SAID CONTAINER HAVING A LARGE OPENING AT THE FRONT END THEREOF AND A SMALL OPENING POSITIONED REARWARD OF SAID LARGE OPENING, AND MEANS INCLUDING A TUBE THAT EXTENDS DOWNWARDS FROM SAID SMALL OPENING TOWARDS THE INSIDE OF SAID CONTAINER WHEREBY OIL DEPOSITED IN SAID CONTAINER WILL BE HELD THEREIN WHEN SAID VEHICLE IS IDLE BUT WILL BE EJECTED THEREFROM THROUGH SAID TUBE WHEN SAID VEHICLE IS MOVING DUE TO THE INCREASE IN STATIC AIR PRESSURE WITHIN SAID CONTAINER. 